PRIDE GUIDE 1997 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE B-3

Cincinnati Pride focuses on gay and lesbian culture

by Eric Hunter

Cincinnati-Take one BB Riverboat cruise. Add one wild weekend including the World's Gayest Office Party, the Fruit Salad Fling, and a groovin' circuit party. Sandwich four nights of cultural events at the Cincinnati Gay and Lesbian Center between the two. Sprinkle in a sampling of other events throughout the week. And you have the 1997 Pride and Cultural Festival, a week of fun and celebration which will run from May 31 through June 8.

"The Pride and Cultural Festival isn't about fighting an enemy, an issue, or an ideologue. The cultural focus of the week emphasizes the variety of contributions gay and lesbian people make to all areas of our culture. The week will be a time to celebrate and explore our own culture as a people," event co-chair Bruce Preston said.

The week will kick off on Saturday, May 31 with a BB Riverboat cruise which will board at Covington Landing, Kentucky at 10:30 pm. Tickets for the cruise, which can be purchased through the Community Center, Left Handed Moon, Crazy Ladies and various other merchants, are $20.

On June 2 members of the Cincinnati mainstream media will participate in “Out in

the News," a panel discussion of the treatment of gay and lesbian issues and news stories in the local media. The discussion panelists will include reporter Jay Shatz from WCPO Channel 9; Elbert Tucker, assistant news director at WKRC Channel 12; Lynn Tolan, news director at WLWT Channel 5; Cincinnati Enquirer assistant metro editor Mark Wert; and Cincinnati Post editor Mike Phillips.

Poet and independent filmmaker Aralee Strange and actor-director Michael Blankenship will be performing June 3. Strange will read selections from her poetry based on her experiences as an Over-theRhine resident. Blankenship and twelve members of the Ensemble Theater company will read the first act of Blankenship's adaptation of the homoerotic work Satyricon.

The staff of the downtown location of Williams Sonoma will host "Noodling Around" on June 4. Learn the secrets of cooking and serving fresh pasta from the experts.

On June 5 local performers Tracey Walker and Jamie Fota will headline “Java Jam," an evening of "unplugged" performances by local female musicians. Both Walker and Fota have developed loyal followings as fixtures on the Cincinnati women's music scene.

All four weeknight events will take place at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center which is located at 214 E. Ninth Street in downtown Cincinnati. All four events begin at 8 pm.

Throughout Pride '97 visitors to the Community Center can view a week long exhibition of paintings by the late Bill Petrie. A local farmer, gay rights activist and Gay Games Olympian, Petrie died before his painting talents were fully recognized in Cincinnati. His vivid acrylic-on-canvas paintings, which address a variety of gay and political issues, were painted in an editorial cartoon style.

On Friday, June 6 the final weekend of Pride '97 will start at noon on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati with "Aware on the Square," an educational and inspirational program featuring speakers and entertainment. On Friday evening, be a part of "The World's Gayest Office Party" at the Dock from 5 to 8 pm. If cocktails aren't your speed, try the spiritual service at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church, which begins at 8 pm.

Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 Cincinnati's Lunken Playfield will be home to the "Fruit Salad Fling." The two day, free event will include live entertain-

ment, food, a 5K run, a tennis tournament, and booths for vendors and non-profit organizations. The Fling will run from 12 to 8 pm on Saturday and 12 to 6 pm on Sunday. Lunken Playfield is near Lunken Airport, off Wilmer Ave. between Kellogg and Beechmont Aves.

Saturday morning from 9 am until noon, the Cincinnati Youth Group will host its annual Pancake Breakfast at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 103 William Howard Taft in Clifton. This event was originally set for Sunday morning, but will be Saturday this year.

Starting at 8 pm Saturday evening, the Northside Business Association will host "Porkopolis," Cincinnati's first circuit party in the Northside Business Association parking lot between Hamilton and Spring Grove Avenues. Tickets for Porkopolis are $15 and available through Ticketmaster. Call 513-4212437 for more information.

Pride '97 will close with the traditional final party at Shirley's on Sunday evening starting at 8 pm. Shirley's is located at 2401 Vine at Hollister.

For more information on the 1997 Pride and Cultural Festival, a program of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati, call the Center at 513-651-0040.

Kings Island now has exclusively gay evening

Cincinnati-The Gay Day at Kings Island, which in past years has been a part of June Pride festivities, will be an evening in September this year, with the park closed to other visitors.

The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati has announced that": they will host an evening at Paramount's Kings Island amusement park on Friday, September 19, from 5 to 11 pm. The park is located on 1-71 just north of Cincinnati.

During that time the park will be open only to visitors who have purchased tickets through the Center. Proceeds from the closedpark event will benefit the Center. In past "Gay Days" at the park, it has been open to the general public.

"We are tremendously thrilled that Kings Island has presented us with this opportunity. It bodes well for the community and our relationship with Kings Island. The Community Center is very excited to be able to offer the community such an opportunity," Center fundraising chair Russ Lemons said.

The event, which the Center plans to market throughout the tri-state region, presents a fundraising opportunity as well as a chance for members of the regional gay and lesbian communities and their friends to come together for an enjoyable evening. Tickets for the Cincinnati Gay and Les-

bian Center evening at Kings Island are $20 for Center members and $25 for non-members. For more informatión or to order tickets, call the Center at 513-651-0040.

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